Colloration patterns in Polybia (Myrapetra) occidentalis Olivier, 1791 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in different brazilian biomes

• Grant number: 23/12596-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Barbosa Noll
• Grantee: Eduardo Solace Josué Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/09215-6 - Countering the taxonomic impediment of aculeate wasps: micro- and macroregional visions of the neotropical fauna, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Polybia (Myrapetra) occidentalis Olivier, 1791, is a paper wasp species of the Epiponini tribe found throughout the Neotropical region. Its color is the most variable among the species of the genus, because its light markings cover all other patterns present individually in species with more uniform color. Little is known about the geographic variation of the coloring of social wasps, however, it is expected the organisms to show morphological variation throughout their distribution in response to environmental variables. This project aims to investigate possible correlations between the morphology of this species and different brazilian biomes, based on the idea that species with wide geographic distribution may present morphological variations according to the environmental characteristics of the regions they occupy.